I just sold all of my Facebook stock.

Apple’s upcoming iOS 14 update represents a serious threat to Facebook’s core business. This new feature, which gives people an easier way to opt out of ad tracking, could have a major impact on the efficacy of Facebook’s advertising platform.

In response, Facebook has launched an all-out assault on Apple and started developing new tools for navigating this uncharted territory. However, the challenge will become greater as more people update their devices and businesses can’t reach them anymore.

Unfortunately, this is just one of many concerns. Facebook has also been constantly on the defense in addressing other problematic issues related to its products, including tech addiction, data privacy, misinformation, election interference, monopoly power and antitrust law.

I’m not arguing that Facebook will disappear or lose its grip on the digital ad market, but the company has simply lost my vote of confidence.

Over the holidays, Amazon introduced a limited-time promotion where you could buy their $24.99 Smart Plug for 80% off. The catch? You were only able to redeem this offer through Alexa.

Originally published on SoundCloud (January 15, 2021)

The weather was perfect in Nashville. Mid 70s. Not a cloud in the sky. My four-year-old and I setup a pretend restaurant inside, but soon after he suggested something much better on a day like this: a lemonade stand.

As an alternative to charging people for lemonade in the middle of a pandemic, my wife had the idea of including an optional donation jar instead. She mentioned a few charities and my son chose the local children’s hospital as the beneficiary of the stand. We weren’t expecting anything more than a couple takers, but the response was beautiful. …

Whenever you encounter a feature online intended to deceive or trick the end user, this is known as a dark pattern. It might be a button you can’t avoid, an intentionally hidden feature, a “limited time” discount with no end date. The sky is the limit and unfortunately, these deceptive tactics have been prevalent on the Internet for a long time.

Brad Parscale, the President’s former campaign manager, knows many of them all too well. A master of digital manipulation, he will be the first to admit that he stole the 2016 presidential election from Hillary Clinton with an aggressive…

I’m a chronic procrastinator. When faced with a challenging task, I often put it on the back burner in favor of something easier. On the surface it feels like laziness or a lack of self-control, but in reality it’s a lot more than that. Procrastination is driven by feelings of insecurity and doubt associated with the tasks we turn ourselves away from. The longer we delay completing these tasks, the more our anxiety feeds on itself, allowing our internal critics to make their presence known with disapproval and nagging feelings of inadequacy.

Recently, I’ve been doing anything I can to…

In 2015, Twitter was on the verge of irrelevance. The company recorded its first quarterly dip in monthly active users and Facebook had emerged as the clear winner of social media. The outlook wasn’t pretty.

Then the 2016 election happened.

Surely enough, Twitter began to attract more attention than ever before thanks to the new president of the United States — a notorious celebrity figure who has been using the platform religiously since 2011. Although his tweets are often incendiary, combative and factually inaccurate, the world is fixated on his account. …

Forget the stats. Forget Jordan. Forget the next destination.

The legacy of LeBron James isn’t just about basketball. It’s about his values, leadership and commitment to those around him — both on and off the court.

I grew up watching the world’s most talented basketball player from a distance, but over the past few years I’ve become one of his biggest fans. The only thing more admirable than his phenomenal athletic ability is how much he has evolved as a player and person over time.

James’s situation is beyond unique. He has been scrutinized on a national level since high…